"Pyre, I finally had sex with Amos!" Fox yelled across the parking lot as four school buses began to load up the special education students to take them home.

It was the last day of school before spring break, and all heads were now turned toward Fox.

Oh, maybe not the correct way to tell him that.

Shrugging off the awkwardness felt by the rest of the students and teachers suddenly frozen around him, Fox hurried over to Pyre, who had no need for the buses since he always walked home.

"You're one special dude, my fluffy friend," Pyre said as he tried to hold back a hysterical laugh. Fox could see it just beneath the surface, and he wouldn't mind, but he knew that Pyre wasn't one for the limelight, just like himself, so they walked about a block before he finally busted out laughing.

"Did you like it? I bet you I can do better," he added as he draped an arm around Fox's shoulders but didn't try to tug him any closer.

The guy was clingy as heck, but he never went overboard with his attention. He knew that Fox was taken... though he always did offer all kinds of things if he wanted to leave his boyfriends for him.

Fox nodded as they headed toward the local ice cream shop. The stop was becoming one of their after school things... at least, once a week. Too much ice cream made him wired, or at least that's what Amos and Owen had said after the third time he'd shifted and tried to claw their feet like a cat for four hours straight.

"I'm surprised that you aren't walking funny considering how much that guy seemed to love on you," Pyre said as he held the door open for Fox to enter, then stepped inside himself.

"If you show weakness in the wild, you get picked off or bullied," Fox stated simply, making Pyre stop a few steps back as he walked up to the counter.

Realizing that his friend wasn't beside him, Fox glanced over his shoulder with a curious expression on his face. Pyre stared right back at him, clearly trying hard to hold in another fit of laughter. Thankfully, he managed this time, and eventually meandered his way forward to stand beside him.

"You certainly are something. Well, good for you. How did your other man react to that?" Pyre asked as he fished out a five and paid for their two small cones, then tugged Fox by the hand to one of the little booths away from the busy areas.

Fox carefully sat down in the bright red plastic seat and quickly took a bite of his bacon flavored ice cream.

"He watched, but he's still not comfortable with doing it yet. He has started to touch us more and is working on being naked around us, but I'm not worried about it. I love him and he can take as long as he wants to get used to the things that make him nervous," Fox finished saying right as Pyre reached over and patted his head.

"You're a smart little fox. So, how was Amos? He's a pretty decent sized dude, how did he do?"

Fox went to take a bite and accidentally missed part of his ice cream, earning him a smear of it against his chin.

"Oops," he mumbled as he quickly wiped it off, then licked his wrist clean.

"He was good, but I wouldn't have minded a fifth round. He fell asleep, though," he said as he shifted in his seat a bit, trying to get more comfortable. "But on the other hand, I don't think I'd be able to walk today if he'd had the energy."

Shaking his head, Pyre started licking at his own butter pecan cone.

"I would say that I could beat that, but uh, four is pretty damn good, especially since you said he works full time and goes to school, too. I'm kind of jealous, but I'm not a bottom, so there will be no foursome," Pyre stated with a hint of humor to his words.

Fox huffed a quiet laugh and smiled. "Good, cause I wasn't offering to share. I love him, and I don't want to share him with anyone besides Owen."

Pyre nodded, seemingly drifting off into his own mind for a bit as he nursed his small ice cream cone. Fox had noticed that a lot lately, but he didn't mind. He'd also noticed a few bruises peaking out from beneath the guy's shirt or when he wore torn pants, but after asking once and being shrugged off, he kept his curiosity to himself. He didn't doubt that Pyre got into fights often, since he'd seen quite a few of them, so he didn't want to bother him about it.

"You still with me, kid?" Pyre asked, snapping Fox out of his own run away thoughts.

Oops.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Swallowing one of his last bites of ice cream, Pyre spoke again before he began crunching at his cone.

"How is Henry doing? It's been a while..."

Fox's smile widened at his question.

"He's doing great. The doctors stitched him up well and the bullet was easy to take out, so he recovered quickly and is going back to work tomorrow. Noah has been taking care of him between his shifts. He cut back some of them so that he can be there more often, and I went over every few days when he knew that he would have to be home late."

Pyre nodded, a smile forming on his own lips.

"That a boy. Look at you caring for your vegetarian," he joked, earning a snicker from Fox.

"I suppose I should call him what he really is now... my veterinarian."

Pyre pressed his palm into his forehead and rolled his eyes, making Fox laugh a little louder as he corrected himself again.

"My father."

He was about to speak again when someone walked into the store, drawing his attention over Pyre's shoulder. Clearly noticing, Pyre turned, too, then let out a quiet whistle before licking his lips.

"I want a bite out of that."

Fox tilted his head and sniffed the air. His belly tightened slightly as he smelled a predator. Of course, he knew that the man was unlikely to even pay them any mind, but after being on his own for so long, his instincts were always present.

As if sensing their stares, the man turned his head after ordering his treat. His calm eyes found Fox, first, narrowing only slightly when Fox returned the stare with a near-silent growl. When the man's attention turned to Pyre, Fox saw his friend straighten in his seat, but not look away.

A half-smile curved the mans lips before he turned back toward the counter and took his milkshake, then paid and walked out without a word.

"Damn, he's as hot as your Amos," Pyre noted, refusing to look away until the man had completely disappeared from the glass windows outside. "Maybe even hotter."

Fox shrugged and finished off his cone, then slid from his seat as Pyre did the same.

"You want to go catch him?" he asked, very familiar with Pyre's sexual habits. The guy had ditched him on more than one occasion to get some.

Surprisingly, Pyre shook his head and draped his arm back over Fox's shoulder as they headed out.

"Nah, besides, your men invited me over for dinner tonight," he said with an excited grin.

That's right, but it's so that we can study for some of our upcoming exams, since we're both a little behind.

Well, Pyre was way behind because he didn't care, but Fox had drifted a bit after Henry had gotten hurt, so they were going to start playing catch up tonight.

"Something like that," Fox finally said, knowing that Pyre likely wouldn't want to study much, but at the same time, he did really show effort when food was a reward. He'd also stayed over a few times in the past few weeks, and during those visits, as soon as they said that he didn't have to go home those nights, he'd studied his ass off and even helped with the dishes.

He didn't really understand him, but Amos and Owen were both okay with him being around, so long as he didn't try anything with him. It was appreciated, because honestly, Pyre was his first real friend, and he really did enjoy hanging out with him on occasion.

"Owen should be home when we get there, but Amos is going to be late," Fox said nonchalantly as they walked comfortably down the sidewalk.

Pyre hummed and nodded, closing his eyes every few moments as he turned his head up toward the overcast sky. There was a nice breeze going, bringing with it the scent of rain. It rustled the boy's hair perfectly.

He is handsome.

"I see you looking at me. You sure you don't wanna have a go at this?" Pyre said, having opened his eyes and caught him. He gestured to himself as he finished speaking, too, just to add to his charm.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Fox declined and continued walking with his friend.

"You'll find someone out there, Pyre," he said as they turned a corner and were met with a stronger, slightly cooler gust of wind.

He heard Pyre mumble something as a response, but his words were eaten by the wind. The last bit of what he said was audible as the wind died down just enough.

"...and one of your someones evidently couldn't wait for you to be home."

Owen stood far down the street with his backpack firmly on his shoulders and a second bag hanging in his left hand. His hair was terribly disheveled from the wind, and Fox loved it. The man rarely had the time to pick him up from school, but when he did, it was a treat that he treasured.

"Go on. I'll be right behind you... staring at your butt," Pyre said without an ounce of hesitation.

Fox turned and nudged him with his elbow, then started running toward his boyfriend. The wind danced through his hair and made his slightly too-big shirt billow behind him, but no matter how hard it blew, it couldn't stop his sneakers from bringing him into the arms of one of his two special people.

The hug felt like heaven, and when Owen actually leaned down as he leaned up and calmly pressed a kiss to his lips, Fox felt his heart melt.

"Let's get home, hmm? I went shopping so that we can have ribs and potatoes tonight, and there is plenty for your friend," Owen said as he looked up with a respectful nod toward Pyre.

"I heard ribs. I'm in, even though I was already in," Pyre said as he gave Owen an understanding smile and took Fox's right hand as Owen slid his own into his left.

I think I'm still far away from really being normal, but I think I'll stop right around here, though. Here seems like a great place.

A faint chuckle in the back of his mind drew his attention up to a smiling Owen.

I agree. Normal is boring, and you are too extraordinary to ever need to go down that road.

Fox grinned, feeling his heart thump warmly in his chest.

I love you, Owen.

Still a little awkward in public around other people, Owen gave him a slight nod and wink, then replied in his mind.

I love you, too, Fox.

"Alright, alright, no more private mushy stuff. I want details," Pyre said with a hint of sarcasm as he nudged Fox.

Shaking his head with a huge smile, Fox hurried forward, making Owen and Pyre both speed up as he looked over his right shoulder and stuck his tongue out.

"Details? Okay, we were just going over some math problems..."

Pyre's jaw dropped before he groaned and trudged along.

The guy's reaction made Fox, and even Owen, laugh out loud.

"Well, looks like you have one more person to do math problems with," Pyre noted with humor as he nodded up the stairs they had arrived at.

Fox followed his gaze as Pyre continued, "one plus one, and all that."

"Amo!" Fox yelled as he released both Owen and Pyre's hands and ran up the stairs.

The man had clearly just gotten there, and hadn't even put his key in the door yet, but that didn't seem to matter at all. He dropped his backpack and easily scooped him up into his arms. After several quick kisses, he carefully set Fox back down and mussed up his hair.

"I came home early," he said as Owen stepped up onto the small landing and accepted one kiss before unlocking the door, picking up Amos' bag, and stepping inside.

Pyre was the last one up and when he stopped in front of Amos, the taller man gave him a look.

"Were you staring at his backside the entire time you were walking up the stairs?" Amos asked.

Pyre raised his eyebrows and gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"Absolutely."

Letting out a breath in a slight chuckle, Amos pressed his hand to Pyre's head and nudged him inside.

"Honesty in the best policy, but... behave."

Fox watched as Pyre turned slightly as he walked and saluted Amos, then headed off toward the bathroom with his backpack.

Being the last two, Fox looked up at Amos and immediately got a tired smile back in return.

"I heard that Owen picked up some ribs. I know that you guys are supposed to study tonight, but I think we can end that a bit early and maybe watch a movie before its bed time?" Amos said as he pulled Fox against his chest in a strong hug.

Fox snuggled in happily, loving that the previously-familiar scent of cigarettes was barely noticeable on his boyfriend, leaving behind a soft mint and woodsy smell.

"You smell good," he mumbled against the man's warm chest, then added, "that sounds perfect."

"Come on, you two!" Pyre yelled from inside, drawing a quiet chuckle from Fox and a deep one from Amos.

"Looks like your friend wants your attention. I'll go get washed up, then help Owen with dinner," Amos said as he turned them toward the door and Fox took a small step away from him.

"Alright," Fox said, then smirked as he started walking inside, tugging Amos along with him by the hand. "Time to study our butts off, Pyre!"

He heard a groan from down the hall, but couldn't help but keep the grin on his face as he turned toward the open door and stared out. The forests and streets would always call to him, and had been his first real home. One that had taken care of him for years, though it wasn't without hardships and danger, but as he looked over his shoulder, catching Pyre dropping down onto the sofa, Amos heading into the bathroom, magically already lacking a shirt, and Owen milling about in the kitchen, he knew that he'd found a new home... one that called to him even stronger than his previous ever had.

With one final look outside into the now-drizzling rain, Fox slowly closed the door, pressing against it gently until he heard the final click of it settling into place.

I'm home.